BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.) registered 19 kills and 10 digs to lead the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's volleyball team over Simmons University, 3-1, inside Tansey Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
The Leopards earn their first win at home and improve to 3-1 overall, while the Sharks drop to 1-4 this season.
Simmons narrowly took the first set 26-24 before the Leopards opened the second frame on a quick 3-0 run with junior Katie Clouse (Hudson Falls, N.Y.) on the serve. Wentworth never looked back, and went up by as much as 10 points, 22-12, after a kill from junior Claire Quick (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Simmons turned a 5-1 run of their own following a handle of Wentworth attack errors, but a final two kills from Rogoz sealed the set 25-18 to even the match at 1-1.
Wentworth forced Simmons into nine errors in nine attack attempts in the third frame, and hit .200 as a team to lengthen its match lead to 2-1. The Leopards registered four blocks in the set, led by junior Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.) with a solo block heading into the final set. The Leopards hit .345 as a team in the final frame, downing the Sharks 25-13 in the quickest set of the evening, with Rogoz leading the way with nine kills.
Rogoz added four aces to her stat line for 24 points overall, which ranks second all-time for most points in a game at Wentworth, of which she is the record holder with 24.5 points. Quick and freshman Mary Zlotosch (Durham, N.H.) put down eight kills apiece, while Zlotosch and senior Lillie Clark (Vista, Calif.) swung into four aces each. Freshman Jade Iadarola (Miami, Fla.) registered 11 digs to round out double-digit defense for the victors.
Lassiter led the Leopards on the blocks with five blocks assisted and one solo block, factoring into their team total of nine in the win. Juniors Maddy Tomastik (Portland, Ore.) and Clouse split setter duties, and dished out 16 and 15 assists, respectively.
Sophomore Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) paced the visitors with 12 kills and 13 assists for her fifth double-double in as many games. Junior Kenna McCarthy (Shelter Island, N.Y.) dished out 17 assists in the effort, while sophomore Julia Fusco (Beverly, Mass.) and freshman Reilly Coombs (Deland, Fla.) had 27 combined digs
Wentworth is back in action on Saturday with a home match against non-conference foe Saint Joseph's (Me.). First serve is set for 12:00 p.m inside Tansey Gym.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
